Does this AJS Porcupine deserve to become the world's most expensive motorcycle?

It seems the world auction record for a motorcycle is expected to fall later this year when a 1954 AJS E95 Porcupine grand prix racer will go under the hammer.

The only thing I can't work out is "why all the fuss?"

The 1949 E90 AJS Porcupine narrowly won the inaugural World 500cc championship, but by 1954 the design was obsolete and the subsequent unreliable E95 never won a race at world championship level in three seasons of trying. That's not stopping Bonhams from talking it up (its claim that the bike is "arguably the most beautiful, graceful and innovative racing motorcycle ever built" is just plain ridiculous) and it is expecting a sale price in excess of US$750,000 which would put it on top of the list of the most expensive motorcycles sold at auction.

Now there's some genuine reasons why the Porcupine might indeed break the record. For starters, the auction at which it will be sold is including motorcycles for the first time - it's the annual Bonhams Pebble Beach automotive auction at Quail Lodge, and the audience is particularly monied.

Beyond that, the last E95 Porcupine to sell at auction fetched GBP157,700 (approx. US$258,500) eleven years ago in 2000, which was then a world record price for a British motorcycle. This motorcycle is a genuine works racer - the one that sold in 2000 was not.

Beautiful it may be, but the claim by Bonhams CEO that the Porcupine is "arguably the most beautiful, graceful and innovative racing motorcycle ever built" is just plain ridiculous as are a number of other claims in the press release which have been regurgitated verbatim by the bloggers of the world.

Indeed, it's my belief Bonhams is overselling this motorcycle. Its claims that it is "one of the most legendary motorcycles in history owing to its brief, sunburst racing success and extreme rarity" is simply not true.

Rarity might increase the value of a motorcycle but it does not make a motorcycle legendary, and the "sunburst racing success" no doubt refers to the 1949 world championship which Les Graham won with 30 points from the Gilera fours of Nello Pagani (28 points) and Arciso Artesiani (25 points).

Hence the win was hardly a decisive one and besides, that was the E90, not the E95 which is the bike for sale here.

Both were referred to as Porcupines, and both were 500cc DOHC twins, but not much else was the same. The E90 cylinders were horizontal. The E95 cylinders were inclined at 45 degrees for better cooling and this necessitated a new frame. The E90 had an open frame. The E95 had a loop type frame with the motor mounted lower. The E95 had a pressed-up crankshaft with one-piece connecting rods and roller big-ends in place of the E90's one-piece shaft and shell-type bearings.

Here's the statement by Bonhams CEO Malcolm Barber which I believe overstates the importance of the motorcycle. "As far as motorcycles go, the Porcupine is at the very top. It is arguably the most beautiful, graceful and innovative racing motorcycle ever built, the perfect blend of technology and art. Comparisons are impossible but bikes of a similar caliber - rarity, significance and worth - could include a 1915 Cyclone Board Track Racer, 1955 Moto Guzzi V8 or a mid-1960s RC Honda Grand Prix. This AJS is an utterly important machine whose appearance at auction cannot be underscored enough."
The motorcycle Bonhams is selling is a complete redesign of the bike which won the 1949 world 500cc title, but one which was not competitive at world championship level. It is NOT a significant motorcycle, and comparing it to the 1915 Cyclone Board Track Racer which holds the current world auction record, or the 1955 Moto Guzzi V8 or a mid-1960s RC Honda Grand Prix racer is just a load of bollocks IMHO.

The AJS Porcupine E95 is a beautiful motorcycle but it only won a few national level events and was quite a different bike to the Porcupine that made history by taking the first world 500cc championship. The bike it so narrowly beat in that first championship, the Gilera four, was far more innovative and went on to win six of the next seven titles.

Whether someone will pay US$750,000 for the E95 Porcupine is really the point of this article. It may be that someone will. They may even be well informed, but I can't see why this bike should become the most expensive motorcycle ever sold - it just doesn't make sense. The only thing this bike shares with the 1949 world championship machine is the nickname.

Mike grew up thinking he would become a mathematician, accidentally started motorcycle racing, got a job writing road tests for a motorcycle magazine while at university, and became a writer. As a travelling photojournalist during his early career, his work was published in a dozen languages across 20+ countries. He went on to edit or manage over 50 print publications, with target audiences ranging from pensioners to plumbers, many different sports, many car and motorcycle magazines, with many more in the fields of communication - narrow subject magazines on topics such as advertising, marketing, visual communications, design, presentation and direct marketing. Then came the internet and Mike managed internet projects for Australia's largest multimedia company, Telstra.com.au (Australia's largest Telco), Seek.com.au (Australia's largest employment site), top100.com.au, hitwise.com, and a dozen other internet start-ups before founding Gizmag in 2002. Now he writes and thinks.

bollocks is a lovely word quite correctly used when describing this \"porcupine\" The auctioneer probably doesn\'t understand this epic English word but I\'m glad to see you had the courage to describe this heap of horse manure correctly, Thanks for a brilliant read,

robinyatesuk2003

Good points are made, like the distinction between the E90 Porcupine and E95 Porcupine, but the rest just sounds like you have a bone to pick.

Please tell me what World or even National championships the Cyclone or Guzzi V8 won? Exactly.

As for Robin, your comment reveals your lack of knowledge on the subject. Bonhams and Barber are English. Perhaps that\'s why they are a bit biased and so enamored with the bike.

As or the quote the author so detests: Beautiful, yes. Innovative, yes. Graceful, not really. Successful, not really. Rare, yes. Legendary, very much so - for all the reasons that make anything a legend.

I for one hope it does make a world record. In the world of motor vehicles, I love to see a motorcycle get attention, even if it is a bit \"oversold\" or undeserving in your opinion.

MikeyL

Hey, all you guys who are auction house apologists! Since when does it make a solid connection to a claimed World Championship if the only connection is a slathered nickname?

Let\'s see here... IT\'S NOT THE SAME MODEL. Oh, gosh, I guess that\'s all it takes to run-up the value, name it the same but you do not have to prove that it\'s the same model. In that case, I\'ve got this 1949 two-wheeler with the beautifully chorme plated, pot metal insignia name, \"Porcupine\" and I\'ll let it go for a mere, USD$100K. Clearly, my claim is as vaild as to provenance and my ride is a whole lot cheaper than this pimped bag of air.

I also own a beat to crap sled with the hand-painted name, Rosebud, emblazoned across the forward end of the wooden slats. I\'m taking offers on that piece of history, as well.

Let the buyer beware... he/she will never get back out of this what they put into it. To that end, I hope that some fool pops for the full wad and walks away with the title of being the biggest money bag joke at the auction.

Chris Ostlind

Let\'s be honest: the ability to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a motorcycle of any sort does not automatically validate the worth of the machine, except in the minds of those also bidding for it. The auction house is complicit, and transparently so, in over-valuing most of what they sell via the use of literary license and carefully chosen descriptions which trigger the familiarity instincts of buyers who, if not well educated and well traveled, aspire to be. Further, the notoriety gained through such a purchase (while not-so-subtly down played) is worth different amounts to different buyers. This is the auctioneer\'s carefully planted stock-in-trade.